Make Time For This Iconic Stephen King Movie Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is packed with nods to Stephen King's vast universe of narratives. Apart from the obvious links to the original story, the show includes a direct link to King's famous novel via the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the narrative unfolds, Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more beloved King story that deserves a revisit.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as horror, especially in contrast with much of King's other work, it remains a gripping story of a innocently imprisoned individual condemned to spend the rest of his life inside a notorious penitentiary. And it's this specific penitentiary which is central here, since the Shawshank facility possesses significant lore throughout King's fictional world — a pattern which persists within Welcome to Derry.
Some of the stories which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these narratives, we discover regarding the terrible conditions at Shawshank State Prison plus some of those imprisoned within, including the boyfriend of one belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who was convicted of armed robbery.
So far, though, the most we have discovered about the prison was via the perspective of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy ends up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, and finds himself assaulted and abused by other prisoners, while exploited by the officials in power for his financial knowledge. He requires him 28 years to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, before crawling "through sewage" to take back his freedom.
Shawshank's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, viewers initially discovered about the prison's inclusion from an initial preview for the show, in which a prison bus appeared with the name painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is probably headed to the prison.
Although it is known he did not commit the murders of children initially, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. The preview for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," reveals an officer informing Hank in his cell, "Do you know what happens to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie
Considering that the real murderer in Derry is an ancient power from another world preying on and killing children, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he ends up in the prison and viewers do not see him there, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his experience would be far from pleasant.
Crucially, though, this development would endanger Ronnie. He acts as her guardian. Terrible events are occurring around Derry that nobody, child or adult, comprehends and she just has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She will require her father as the story progresses, but if Shawshank plays a role, she could be without help.
A single fact is apparent: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to tunnel to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available on HBO Max. New episodes are released each week each Sunday.
